A recent study conducted by researchers in Pennsylvania has shown that Gene Therapy can be highly effective in treating inherited sight defects in children. The study, which takes its cue from a similar research done by doctors at the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, reported that US doctors were able to significantly improve children' visions which had been marred by a rare genetic eye disorder. Doctors were treating 12 patients in all, and the youngest ones responded really well to the therapy.

Encouraged by the success rate reported in the study, doctors are now hopeful that improvements in a large number of patients suffering from Retinitis Pigmentosa and Macular Degeneration might be possible as well, with gene therapy.

Describing the results as "astounding", Chief Scientific Officer of Foundation Fighting Blindness said, "The big take-home message from this is that every individual in the group had improvement. There were no safety issues at all". The organization had supported the study, but was not directly involved with it.

9 year old Corey Haas, the youngest patient in the study, was declared legally blind and was confined by law to his house and driveway while playing. Also, he needed constant assistance in the classroom and everywhere he went. After a single injection of gene therapy in one eye, however, significant improvement has been seen. Corey now needs no assistance anywhere, and is also able to ride his bike around the neighborhood.

Experts believe that the study "hold(s) great promise for the future". Researchers are now looking to take the study to new levels and explore all the possibilities.